Salvia plant named ‘Bumblesky’

ABSTRACT

The new and distinct cultivar of perennial Salvia plant named ‘Bumblesky’ characterized by its small light blue-colored flowers densely arranged in verticils, with compact rounded habit and stiff, upright, branched stems and strong vigorous growth rate and gray-green foliage. Salvia ‘Bumblesky’ is especially useful for landscaping and containerized ornamentals by itself or in combination with other plants.

Botanical denomination: Salvia nemorosa (Linnaeus).

Cultivar designation: ‘Bumblesky’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of ornamental Sage plant hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name Salvia ‘Bumblesky’ or as the new plant. The new plant was hybridized on May 17, 2012 at a wholesale perennial nursery in Zeeland, Mich., USA. The new plant was the result of a cross between Salvia ‘Crystal Blue’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 26,344 and ‘Sensation Deep Rose Improved’ (not patented). The seeds from the cross were harvested on Aug. 7, 2012 and the single specific seedling that developed into the new Salvia was assigned the breeder code 12-59-3 through the evaluation process. The new plant was first selected for further evaluation in the summer of 2013 and selected for final evaluation in the summer of 2015. The first asexual propagation was performed in the summer of 2014 by shoot tip cuttings at the same nursery in Zeeland, Mich. ‘Bumblesky’ has proven that it is stable and reliably produces true to type plants in successive generations of asexual propagation.

No plants of Salvia ‘Bumblesky’ have been sold or disclosed in this country, or anywhere in the world, by this or any name, more than one year prior to the filing of this application, with the exception of that which was sold or disclosed either directly or indirectly from the inventor.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of Salvia ‘Bumblesky’ have not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, nutrition and light intensity without, however, any variance in genotype.

Salvia ‘Bumblesky’ can be most closely compared to Salvia ‘Crystal Blue’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 26,344, ‘Sal Card 07’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 20,184, Salvia ‘May Night’ (not patented), Salvia ‘Blue Hill’ (not patented) and Salvia ‘Sensation Sky Blue’ (U.S. Plant Patent status unknown). In comparison with ‘Sal Card 07’ the new plant is more compact and rounded in habit and the new plant has lighter colored flowers. In comparison with ‘May Night’ the new plant habit is shorter and more compact, but is more branched and has larger and lighter blue-colored flowers. In comparison with ‘Blue Hill’, the new plant habit shorter and more compact, and the flower is a lighter blue color. Compared with ‘Sensation Sky Blue’ the new plant habit is slightly larger and the flower color is a lighter blue. Compared with the female parent ‘Crystal Blue’ the new plant is more compact habit and has lighter blue flowers. Compared with the male parent, the new plant has a larger habit than ‘Sensation Deep Rose Improved’, and the male parent has rose-pink flowers, whereas the new plant has light blue flowers.

The following characteristics in combination distinguish Saliva ‘Bumblesky’ as a new and distinct cultivar:

-   -   1. Small, light blue-colored flowers densely arranged in         verticils;     -   2. Compact rounded habit and stiff, upright, heavily-branched         stems;     -   3. Strong, vigorous and winter-hardy;     -   4. Rugose gray-green foliage.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The photographs of the new plant demonstrate the unique traits and the overall appearance of Salvia ‘Bumblesky’. The colors are as accurate as reasonably possible with color reproductions. Variation in ambient light spectrum, source and direction may cause the appearance of minor variation in color. The plant used in the photographs was a two-year old plant grown in an open, full-sun trial garden at a wholesale perennial nursery in Zeeland, Mich. with supplemental water and fertilizer when needed. No stem pinching or plant growth regulators have been used.

FIG. 1 shows the plant habit in full flower in a landscape.

FIG. 2 shows a close-up of the flower scape with the buds and unique light blue petal color.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The following descriptions and color references except where common dictionary terms are used are based on the 2015 edition of The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart. Salvia ‘Bumblesky’ has not been observed under all possible environments. The phenotype may vary slightly with different growing environments such as temperature, light, fertility, soil pH, moisture and plant maturity levels, but without any change in the genotype. The following observations and size descriptions are based on two-year old plants growing both in a greenhouse with minimal shading and in an outdoor full-sun trial garden at a wholesale perennial nursery in Zeeland, Mich. Plants were given supplemental water and fertilizer but no plant growth regulators were used.

-   Botanical classification: Salvia nemorosa (Linnaeus); -   Parentage: Female or seed parent is Salvia ‘Crystal Blue’; the male     or pollen parent was ‘Sensation Deep Rose Improved’ (not patented); -   Plant habit: Winter-hardy herbaceous perennial; multi-stemmed, with     basal and cauline foliage, and flowers in several tightly arranged     verticils on heavily-branched upright racemes displayed above     foliage; in flower with panicles about 34 cm tall and about 40 cm     wide at the fullest point about 15 cm above soil; foliage extends     about two-thirds of the way up the stems; -   Propagation: By herbaceous tip cuttings; time to produce a rooted     stems about two weeks; -   Growth rate: Rapid, vigorous, finishing in from a 25 mm plug to     flower in one-gallon pot in about 10 to 12 weeks, and flowering in a     one-gallon pot from a dormant bare-root one-year-old plant in about     6 to 8 weeks; -   Root description: Fine, well-branched; color dependent on age and     soil type, from cream to dark tan in color; -   Foliage: Opposite, simple, rugose, lanceolate; margin crenate,     glabrous upper and lower surfaces except veins; acute apex and base     cordate to auriculate with lobes sometimes overlapping; lightly     puberulent abaxial and matte adaxial; leaf blades about 6.6 cm long     and 3.3 cm across, decreasing in size distally; average about 5.5 cm     long and 2.8 cm across; faint sage fragrance; -   Foliage color: Adaxial surface nearest RHS 137A; abaxial surface     nearest RHS 146B; -   Venation: Reticulate; impressed on adaxial side and ridged on     abaxial side; puberulent abaxial and glabrous adaxial midrib and     secondary veins; -   Vein color: Adaxial midrib nearest RHS 145D, main and secondary     veins same color as surrounding tissue; abaxial midrib and main     veins nearest RHS 145D, secondary veins nearest RHS 145C and     becoming nearest RHS 146B toward leaf margin; -   Petiole: Concavo-convex, pubescent along margin and puberulent     abaxial and adaxial surfaces; to about 2.5 cm long and 2.0 mm wide,     average 2.0 cm long and 2.0 mm wide at base; -   Petiole color: Adaxial surfaces center nearest RHS 147D and margins     nearest RHS 138A; abaxial center nearest RHS 145C and margins     nearest RHS 138A; -   Stems: Quadrangular; pubescent, to 16.0 cm long before flowers and     3.5 mm across at base; -   Nodes: Five before flowering verticils; average internode length 3.2     cm; color same as stem; -   Flower description: Perfect, bilabiate, verticillate with flowering     generally beginning at lower verticils and advancing up the scape;     with lower lip projected downward almost vertically and parallel to     stem and hood petal upwardly at about 45 degree angle above     horizontal; self-cleaning, petals not persistent; flowering     beginning late spring for about four weeks and repeating if initial     scapes removed; -   Flower longevity: About four days on the plant or as cut flower; -   Fragrance: No detected; -   Flower buds one to two days prior to anthesis: Shape is rounded on     top and slightly concave below, with rounded apex; pubescent; about     8.0 mm long, 2.5 mm tall and 1.5 mm wide; -   Flower bud color: Petals variable between RHS 91B and RHS 91C; calyx     distal region nearest RHS 138A, base nearest RHS 144D, with veins     and distal region in more light tinted with nearest RHS N187B; -   Flowers: Bilabiate corolla; zygomorphic; about 1.4 cm long from base     of calyx to tip of exserted style, 8.0 mm tall and 4.0 mm wide;     clustered at verticils with about six flowers per verticil; -   Petals: Two; upper hood petal and lower labium petal; -   Hood (upper) petal: Slightly arcuate in distal half; flattened side     to side vertically, with emarginate apex and base fused with labium     in basal 5.0 mm, tube diameter about 2.0 mm; puberulent outside,     glabrous inside; 11.0 mm long, 3.0 mm tall and 1.0 mm across; -   Labium (lower) petal: Consisting of three lobes, two upwardly     projecting proximal lobes about 1.0 mm long and 1.0 mm wide at base     with rounded apex, one distal lobes about 3.0 mm long 4.0 mm wide     with rounded apex; distal portion of lower labium slightly concaved     upwards; glabrous adaxial and microscopically puberulent abaxial;     about 7.0 mm long, 4.0 mm wide at the widest portion and 4.0 mm     tall; -   Petal color: Both upper hood and lower labium nearest RHS 91C     abaxial and nearest RHS 91D adaxial; -   Androecium: Two, fused with labium, contained within hood petal;     -   -   Filament.—Glabrous, about 2.0 mm long and less than 0.5 mm             diameter; fused about 4.0 mm from base of labium petal;             curved around inside of hood petal; color proximal region             nearest RHS N88D, lightening lighter than RHS 85D before             stamen.         -   Anther.—Glabrous, oblong, less than 1.0 mm long and less             than 0.5 mm diameter; longitudinal, dorsifixed; color             mixture between RHS 160D and RHS 157A.         -   Pollen.—Globose, less than 0.5 mm circumference; color             nearest RHS 11B. -   Gynoecium: One, curved around inside of hood petal; total about 1.5     cm long;     -   -   Style.—About 13.0 mm long and less than 0.5 mm diameter;             color nearest RHS NN155D at base, darkening distally to             nearest RHS 85C before stigma split.         -   Stigma.—Split in two and curved in the terminal 1.0 mm; apex             pointed; color between RHS 84A and RHS N82B.         -   Ovary.—Superior; color nearest RHS 145A.         -   Fruit.—Not yet observed. -   Calyx: Five sepals, three upper and two lower, campanulate, apex     acute; fused base; persistent; tube about 5.0 mm long and 2.0 mm     wide; lower cleft about 2.0 mm deep between lobes and upper and     lower set; upper set of three fused to closer than 0.5 mm of apex; -   Calyx color: Abaxial nearest RHS 138B with darker veins of RHS 137A;     adaxial nearest RHS 148D with darker veins of RHS 137A; -   Bracts: Each verticil subtended by two opposite bracts; apex     acuminate, base truncate, shape nearly cordate; margin entire,     ciliolate, and glabrous above and below; bract size up to 8.0 mm     long and 9.0 mm wide, decreasing distally; color of both surfaces     nearest RHS 137A with center and base veins nearest RHS 145D; -   Peduncles: Quadrangular in cross section, about 16 per plant;     strong; mostly upright, up to 60 cm tall and 5.0 mm across; finely     pubescent; heavily branched with branches at about 45 degrees above     horizontal at three nodes below flowers; branches to about 7.5 cm     long and 2.0 mm across; average space between verticils 0.6 cm; -   Peduncle color: Nearest RHS 138A in upper and lower regions; -   Pedicels: Cylindrical, about 1.0 mm long and 0.5 mm diameter;     puberulent; horizontal to about 20 degrees above horizontal; -   Pedicel color: Nearest RHS 146D; -   Disease and pest resistance: Plants of Salvia ‘Bumblesky’ perform     best with adequate moisture and good drainage, but tolerate low     moisture once established; hardy from USDA zone 3 to 8; resistance     to diseases and pests beyond that common to Salvia has not been     noted. 

It is claimed:
 1. The new and distinct perennial Salvia plant named ‘Bumblesky’ as herein described and illustrated useful for landscaping as a specimen plant, en masse or as a cut flower. 